Angus Monfries, Travis Boak and Jay Schulz all kicked three goals for the visitors.

AFL Ladder

P

W

D

L

%

Pts

1

Fremantle

17

15

0

2

127.06

60

2

West Coast

17

13

1

3

154.43

54

3

Hawthorn

17

12

0

5

164.23

48

4

Sydney

17

12

0

5

115.86

48

5

Bulldogs

17

11

0

6

113.12

44

6

Richmond

17

11

0

6

112.43

44

7

North Melbourne

17

10

0

7

107.19

40

8

Geelong

16

9

0

7

102.42

38

9

Adelaide

16

9

0

7

102.23

38

10

Greater Western Sydney

17

9

0

8

100.28

36

11

Collingwood

17

8

0

9

111.25

32

12

Port Adelaide

17

8

0

9

102.93

32

13

St Kilda

17

6

0

11

87.35

24

14

Melbourne

17

6

0

11

80.88

24

15

Essendon

17

5

0

12

76.10

20

16

Carlton

17

3

0

14

65.24

12

17

Gold Coast

17

2

1

14

74.00

10

18

Brisbane

17

2

0

15

62.72

8

Round 18 - as at 00:00 AM, 02/08/15

Port's midfield were dominant, with the Giants struggling to get the ball out of their half and turning it over far too frequently inside their defensive 50, whilst also kicking inaccurately down the other end.

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Port kicked 12 of the first 13 goals in a completely one-sided first half.

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The Giants trailed by as much as 90 in the final quarter, but three straight goals, two of them to spearhead Jeremy Cameron, allowed the home team to shade the fourth term and add a smidgeon of respectability to the scoreline.

It was the Giants' 16th straight loss since their win over Port in the corresponding fixture last year.

Giants personnel through the week had talked about the match as a grand final and an opportunity for them to break their season drought.

"We deserve a bit more respect I reckon in the competition,'' Hinkley said.

"We've worked really hard this year and Port Adelaide are not the easybeats.

"I think everyone was quite happy to talk up the pressure on Port Adelaide and I'm really proud of the boys today, the way they stood up.''

Port quickly ensured there would be no repeat of that result, scoring the first 20 points before Will Hoskin-Elliott goaled for GWS.

It would be the home team's only first-half major, as Port kicked the next 10 to lead by 34 points at the first break and 68 at halftime.

The Giants' Lachie Whitfield kicked the first goal of the second half, but normal service quickly resumed, with Port slamming on the next three, with Port up by 83 at the last change.

Port improved their win-loss record to 6-5 and will finish round 12 only percentage outside the top eight.

"Our start was really disappointing,'' GWS coach Kevin Sheedy said.

"In the first quarter it looked like we just mishandled the ball and there was no sureness in our play.

"But I was really proud that they kept hanging in there in the last quarter and won the quarter because a lot of players sometimes just throw it in and I didn't think we did.''

"I think if we'd kicked some goals at a certain period of the match, we may have got a run on and we hit the post two or three times and they should have been goals.''

Sheedy thought thought this GWS side may have been the least experienced of his lengthy AFL coaching career, but he said he was committed to sticking with the youngsters through the second half of the season.

"I'm not going to back off picking the young side that I'm going to play because that's going to be the future of this club,'' he said.

"If there's an older experienced player that might be ok, and I think there's going to be a talented player that's going to play 100 games for this club, I'm really going to look at the (potential) 100-game player and see if he's going to be any good.''

Sheedy backed the free agency concept and wanted to see the player transfer concept expanded.

"The movement of players even internally inside a year could be looked at eventually, because there will be players playing at a club knowing full well they are not going to get a game for a year,'' Sheedy said.

"I think player managers and players should really look at it. We did use to have a mid-season draft or a trading period. I never thought that was any major problem.''

While Lance Franklin's name continues to be mentioned as a potential Giants target, Sheedy emphasised the importance of recruiting the right player.

"Just don't panic and get the wrong ones and I think sometimes that's what clubs do,'' Sheedy said.

"I've seen clubs grab at straws and not really get it right and you probably saw that with Brisbane and (Brendan) Fevola.''

Sheedy said linking with GWS had been a wonderful learning experience and one of the most enjoyable parts of his life, despite the regular losses.

"I've lost well over 200 games before I even arrived (at GWS), so I understand about losing,'' Sheedy said.

"Don't panic because you're worried about the scoreboard.

"It takes a long time to build an AFL club and you've got to get it right.''

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